British 'drug mule' trio spared death sentence due to 'polite behaviour'
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The Herald Scotland
31 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Chinook disaster: 25,000 demand answers over crash
The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before being overturned in 2011. A BBC documentary last year, Chinook: Zulu Delta 576, revealed the files related to the tragedy had been sealed by the MoD for 100 years. Read More: In a petition, the family of the victims have urged for the full release of all documents. They also call on the Prime Minister to undertake a judge-led public inquiry. The families have demanded the Government introduce a legal 'duty of candour' on all public bodies 'so that no family ever has to battle for the truth again'. The petition reads: 'Twenty-nine people boarded Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994. All of them died. '31 years later, we – their families – still have no answers. 'We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). 'Our loved ones were forced to board an RAF helicopter with fatal software flaws that MoD test engineers had deemed 'positively dangerous' and 'not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever'. 'We know key evidence was withheld or ignored in previous investigations. Former ministers say they were misled by the MoD and doubt airworthiness issues were investigated properly.' The family of the victims have welcomed the BBC's decision to re-air Chinook: Zulu Delta 576 this month as they push for answers, with the first part airing on Sunday, August 17 on BBC2 at 9pm and the second part a week later. Relatives of the 29 people who died have set up the Chinook Justice Campaign to demand 'truth and transparency' from the MoD. Dr Susan Phoenix's husband, Ian, a detective superintendent in the RUC, was among those killed. Dr Phoenix, 76, who lives in Portland, Dorset, said: 'It was solely down to this excellent two-part BBC documentary by Fine Point Films that brought all of the Chinook Justice families together to fight for truth, transparency and justice. 'Why would files on this horrific crash be sealed for 100 years without there being something to hide, not just from the widows of those on board, but from their children, and grandchildren? 'There is something rotten at the heart of the MoD that continues, having put 29 people on an aircraft that was not airworthy, to insult and patronise us all, just as it dishonours our loved ones. 'We are determined to find out the truth and we believe the British public want that too.' Esme Sparks was seven and her younger siblings were aged just two when their father Major Gary Sparks was killed in the crash. A secondary school teacher, from Darlington, Co Durham, Ms Sparks said: 'We are comforted by the fact that more than 25,000 people have signed our petition at and we would encourage anyone that is sick of state cover-ups to add their names so that we can get truth and transparency. 'The Prime Minister must urgently introduce a legal duty of candour on all public bodies, including the MoD which placed our relatives on an aircraft it knew to be unairworthy, to prevent this type of unacceptable secrecy and wrongdoing happening over and over again.' The MoD has been approached for comment.
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
British man charged with attempted drowning of daughter-in-law on US holiday
British man charged with attempted drowning of daughter-in-law on US holiday The family was staying in a rented home in Florida, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Mark Gibbon (Image: Polk County Sheriff's Office/PA Wire ) A British man has been charged by US police with the attempted murder of his daughter-in-law after allegedly trying to drown her in a swimming pool while on holiday, local authorities said. Mark Raymond Gibbon, 62, of Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, allegedly tried to drown the 33-year-old woman after they argued about his grandchildren in their rental home at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, Florida, on Sunday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said on X. Officers had responded to reports of a disturbance in a back-yard swimming pool at around 5.20pm local time. Gibbon allegedly pushed and held the victim's head under water multiple times, which prevented her from breathing, Mr Judd said. He allegedly only stopped after holidaymakers next door said they had called the sheriff's office, while the victim's nine-year-old daughter jumped into the pool to try to stop the incident, the sheriff said. Gibbon was arrested and taken to Polk County Jail before he was charged with attempted second-degree murder and battery, Mr Judd said. Article continues below The sheriff said in a statement: 'It's great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same.'
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
More than 25,000 sign petition demanding answers on 1994 Chinook disaster
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition demanding answers around the 1994 Chinook disaster. 25 senior intelligence experts and four special forces crew, died when an RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed on the Mull of Kintyre en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness on 2 June 1994. The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before being overturned in 2011. A BBC documentary last year, Chinook: Zulu Delta 576, revealed the files related to the tragedy had been sealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 100 years. Families of the 29 people who died have set up the Chinook Justice Campaign to demand "truth and transparency" from the MoD. In a petition, the family of the victims have urged for the full release of all documents. They also call on the Prime Minister to undertake a judge-led public inquiry. The families have demanded the Government introduce a legal "duty of candour" on all public bodies "so that no family ever has to battle for the truth again." The petition reads: "Twenty-nine people boarded Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994. All of them died. "31 years later, we – their families – still have no answers. "We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence. "Our loved ones were forced to board an RAF helicopter with fatal software flaws that MoD test engineers had deemed 'positively dangerous' and 'not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever'. "We know key evidence was withheld or ignored in previous investigations. Former ministers say they were misled by the MoD and doubt airworthiness issues were investigated properly." The family of the victims have welcomed the BBC's decision to re-air Chinook: Zulu Delta 576 this month as they push for answers, with the first part airing on Sunday, 17 August on BBC2 at 9pm and the second part a week later. Dr Susan Phoenix's husband, Ian, a detective superintendent in the RUC, was among those killed. Dr Phoenix, 76, who lives in Portland, Dorset, said: "It was solely down to this excellent two-part BBC documentary by Fine Point Films that brought all of the Chinook Justice families together to fight for truth, transparency and justice. 'Why would files on this horrific crash be sealed for 100 years without there being something to hide, not just from the widows of those on board, but from their children, and grandchildren? 'There is something rotten at the heart of the MoD that continues, having put 29 people on an aircraft that was not airworthy, to insult and patronise us all, just as it dishonours our loved ones. 'We are determined to find out the truth and we believe the British public want that too.' Esme Sparks was seven and her younger siblings were aged just two when their father Major Gary Sparks was killed in the crash. A secondary school teacher, from Darlington, Co Durham, Ms Sparks said: "The Prime Minister must urgently introduce a legal duty of candour on all public bodies, including the MoD which placed our relatives on an aircraft it knew to be unairworthy, to prevent this type of unacceptable secrecy and wrongdoing happening over and over again." An MOD spokesperson said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent Judge-led review. "The closed records held at The National Archives contain personal information relating to third party individuals. The early release of this information would breach those individuals' data protection rights."
